Garage-door mechanism



July 24, 1928.

E. BEAMS GARAGE DOOR MECHANISM Filed Dec. 10, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l BedmslNVEN-rcm Y ATTORNEY July 24,1928. I 1,678,583

E. BEAMS GARAGE DODR MECHANISN Filed Dec. v1o. 1926 z sheets-sheet 2 Patented July 24, 1928.

UNITI-:o srarss EMMETT BEAMS, OF LOUISVLLE, KENTUCKY;

LGrutasir-noon MECHANISM.

Application led December 10, 1926. Serial No. 15.35945.

This invention relates to door mechanism 'and operating meansA therefor and has for its objects .the provision of novel means or mechanism adapted to be located within the driveway or approach 'to a garage and also in the garage itself whereby upon the movement of a vehicle lthe doors of the garage will be automatically opened or closed as the case may be, the arrangement being such that when vthe vehicle approaches the doors they will be opened .and when it comes to Atinal position within the garage the doors will 'be closed.

An important object isto provide -a mechanism ot' this character so arranged that when the vehicle is first moved ,preparatory to leaving ,the .garage the doors will 'be automatically 'opened and alter it has reached a certain predetermined point in the driveway they will be reclosed, it being consequently unnecessary forthe operator to go through any manual operations to eitect either opening or closing.

An additional object is to provide an apparatus of this character which will be simple and inexpensive to manufact-ure and install, positive in action, efficient and durable in service, and ageneral improvement in the art.

With the above and other'objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a garage showing a plan of the floor thereof and a plan of the driveway or approach, the invention being applied,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the operating' mechanism within the garage,

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a detail section through the door taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral designates a garage or similar buildingintended for thev storage of an automobile, and 11 designates the approach or driveway. The garage is shown as equipped with a pair of mounted, in the present instance, for out ward swinging movement. The exact dehinged doors 12 f tails of the constructionL of rthe garage, -the approach and the door mounting is immaterial inasmuch as many variations may ,be made. Y p Y In carrying out the present invention l provide a bers 13 and 14 located within the driveway or approach, and another pairyotl similar treadle members or plungers land 1610- cated within the garage itself, all 'being yso arranged that the vehicle wheels will .pass thereover. The wheels areindicated by dot and dash lines 17 in Figure 1 and one wheel is shown in full lines in Figure-3.

yrlhe members 13,14, liand 116 are all similar and cach includes a plu-nger 4slidably mounted within a guide 19 which may, in actual practice, be formed as a well in the drivewayv or garage door, as the case may be. Within eac-h guide is an abutment member 2O between which and the adjacent or associated plunger are springs 21 which act normally to urge the plunger members up wardly into position to be engaged by the vehicle wheels.

Pivotally mounted within each of the wells or guides of the treadle members 13, 14, and 16Kis a double ended angle lever 22 which has one end positioned to be engaged by the associated or adjacent plunger 18. Connected with the angle levers associated members 14 and 15 are flexible members 23 which are trained about guide pulleys 24 and which are connected with the doors 12 and with other flexible members 25 which are in turn connected with spring pressed latch bolts 26 provided for the purpose of holding the doors normally closed. Connected with the treadle members 13 and 16 are flexible members 27 trained about guide rollers or pulleys 28 and connected with the doors 12 but in such manner that when these treadle members 13. and 16 are depressed they will act to close the doors. i

In the operation of the mechanism it will be seen that when a vehicle approaches the garage along the driveway 11 the passage of the wheels 17 over the treadle member 13 will have no effect whereas the; engagement thereof upon the treadle member 14 will act to apply a pull to the flexible member connected therewith and this will act to open both the garage doors inasmuch as both doors are connected, as shown, for simultaneous movement. When the vehicle passes pair of treadle or plunger :mem-

or engaged` with or by the treadle,

IIN

into the garage and passes over the treadle member 15 nothing will happen but when the wheels or forward wheel passes over the treadle 16 or comes to rest thereupon it is clear that the flexible member connected with this treadle will act to pull the doors into closed position. In a similar manner it will be evident that when the machine is started out of the garage its passage over the treadle member 15 will cause a pull to be applied to the flexible member connected with the doors so that the doors vwill beopened. After the vehicle has left the garage nothing occurs as it passes over the treadle member 14; which is provided for Opening purposes only but as the vehicle wheels engage the treadle 'member 13 a. pull will be exerted upon the flexible member connected therewith so that the doors will loe close l. It is believed that a thorough understanding of the construction and operation may be had by one skilled in the art from an inspection of the drawings and a study of the foregoing description, it being unnecessary to elaborate the explanation.

lVhile I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it c should be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construetion and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

In combination with the Swingably mounted doors at the entrance to a building, door operating means comprising a plurality of treadlemembers, one pair of said members located in the approach to the building and another pair located within the building, said treadle members being normally upwardly spring pressed, flexible means connecting one of the treadle members of each pair with the doors to swing the doors in one direction, flexible means connecting` the other treadle member of each pair with the doors to swing said doors in an opposite direction, spring pressed latch means normally holding the doors closed, and means connecting the flexible means and latch means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EMMETT Beans. 

